408. Information Memorandum From the Deputy Assistant Secretary of
State for European Affairs (Davis) to
Secretary of State Rusk1

Washington, May 21,
1965.

SUBJECT

British Guiana

The question of holding a constitutional conference and fixing a date for
independence is becoming an increasingly serious issue in British
Guiana. Premier Burnham is
becoming suspicious of both the United States and the United Kingdom and
his suspicions have been intensified by press stories in Britain to the
effect that the United States Government is opposed to early
independence on the grounds that an independent British Guiana might go
communist.2

The British have informed us that they expect to hold the promised
constitutional conference as early as practicable, presumably, if all
goes well sometime toward the end of this year, but they have not been
willing to be this explicit to Premier Burnham. Instead they have told him that the conference
could not be scheduled until there had been time to study a report on
racial imbalance in the public services3 which the British Guiana Government has requested
from the International Commission of Jurists.

Our Consul General in Georgetown has been told to try to allay Burnham's suspicions of footdragging
on the part of the British and to deny press reports that the United
States opposes independence.4 We have suggested to the
British that a more forthcoming reply to Burnham's request for a constitutional conference in
September might be [Page 908]helpful.5 Specifically we have suggested that since it is
their intention to convene this conference this year Premier Burnham might be advised of this
fact.

In a telegram from Georgetown
for Shullaw, May 17,
Carlson reported that he
assured Burnham that these
press stories were completely false. (Department of State, INR/IL Historical Files, Telegrams
and Reports, 1965)↩

In a
telegram from Georgetown for Shullaw, May 22, Carlson reported that the Governor had confirmed his
earlier assurance that the “only stipulation [concerning timing] was
that of time to ‘study’ ICJ report before constitutional conference
and that there was no mention of requiring its implementation.”
(Ibid.)↩

In a telegram
from Georgetown for Shullaw,
June 1, Carlson reported that
Burnham was “quite
unimpressed” with and unconvinced by U.S. arguments that the United
Kingdom was not dragging its feet on independence. Carlson stressed to Burnham that the United States did
favor early independence. (Ibid.)↩

In a telegram to Georgetown
for Carlson, May 21,
Shullaw reported that he
had called in John Killick of the British Embassy and “suggested
that HMG might wish to consider being somewhat more forthcoming,”
and that there could be “considerable gain were HMG to tell
Burnham that the
conference would be held this year.” (Johnson Library, National
Security File, Country File, British Guiana, Vol. III, Memos,
12/64–11/65)↩